The importance of flavodoxin for environmental stress tolerance in photosynthetic microorganisms and transgenic plants. Mechanism, evolution and biotechnological potential

ANABELLA F. LODEYRO; ROMINA D. CECCOLI; JUAN J. PIERELLA KARLUSICH; NÉSTOR CARRILLO

FEBS LETTERS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2012 vol. 586 p. 2917 - 2924

0014-5793

Ferredoxins are electron shuttles harboring iron sulfur clusters which participate in oxido-reductivepathways in organisms displaying very different lifestyles. Ferredoxin levels decline in plantsand cyanobacteria exposed to environmental stress and iron starvation. Flavodoxin is an isofunctionalflavoprotein present in cyanobacteria and algae (not plants) which is induced and replacesferredoxin under stress. Expression of a chloroplast-targeted flavodoxin in plants confers toleranceto multiple stresses and iron deficit. We discuss herein the bases for functional equivalence betweenthe two proteins, the reasons for ferredoxin conservation despite its susceptibility to aerobic stressand for the loss of flavodoxin as an adaptive trait in higher eukaryotes. We also propose a mechanismto explain the tolerance conferred by flavodoxin when expressed in plants.